For the Beauty of the earth

I'm in Gatlinburg!
It is gorgeous. At least the wilderness is.
As for the main drag downtown? It makes me shudder.
So tourist-y...But it is not all thorns. There are gems to be found among the rough.
Such as...
 the artisan store.  I appreciated the workmanship. Intricate carvings, handwoven cloths, jewelry, and last but not least, the pottery. [I want to take some pottery classes now.] There were some über cool mugs there. The only drawback was the price. With the price they were asking ($30 or so), I'd be hard-pressed to actually use the mugs. Perhaps they were just there to be displayed.
[I have a thing for mugs.]
Another store called The Honeypot had soy candles that smelled heavenly. I ended up with a coffee cup filled with a soywax candle that smells like roasted espresso. There was no choice. I had to buy it. [I hope it doesn't encourage me to drink more coffee...]
In many stores there were moccasins. I tried on a groovy pair, and came close to buying them. Not so close on the fringe coat that coordinated...

We are staying in a spacious rental house that has a lovely view.
Standing out on the deck, gazing out at the beauty, you get a sense of grandeur.
I can never decide. Mountains or Beach? Both have redeeming qualities.

We hiked out to a waterfall on Monday.

Swam in the cool pool, warmed up in our hot tub, took pictures, played pool...it's been a nice stay so far.
I also got to finish one of my books. The Oath by Peretti. Oh boy, that guy is a good writer. He keeps you interested. It is a difficult task to put one of his books down.

Tomorrow we're going on a long hike. I'm looking forward to it. Better make sure the camera batteries are charged.
But now it is hot tub time. Everything's cooling off, so it will feel lovely to soak in the warmness. We walked an extensive amount today around downtown. I think our three mile walk today was more exhausting than a 10 mile hike in the woods would have been...

Home, home, home...

So good to be home after a month away! 


The beach was FABULOUS. Every day was perfect. 
God is so very good! 
My cup of blessing? 
Overflowing. 
To have such sweet loving friends as Britt, AL, and Ms. Debbie. :) 


So, I know I could take up lots of space listing blessings...
I've done it before (on paper) and...wow, just wow. 
It'll lift your spirits. 


So: home. 
I forced myself to unpack yesterday, going against my lazy grain. Really, it wasn't so bad. 
I dread unpacking. And packing. 
Packing in general. 
It is in such times when you must make hard decisions. (The blue blouse or the green one?...why can't I just have both? I know, I know...because that makes for a full suitcase...) 
It was nice packing to the beach.  I was already packed. 
See, the week before I was at my grandparents, and the week before that I was at camp, and the week before that I was cooking in another camp kitchen...
My clothes had been washed of course, but I was packed with a VERY FULL suitcase. I was used to living out of it. 


At camp, you go through clothes like nobody's business. (I don't go through nobody's business usually, but...) 
At camp, you wear crazy stuff that you wouldn't really wear anywhere else (a t-shirt with tofu fighting? really?)


But that was what I had to work with for my wardrobe. 


I was home for about 45 minutes before heading out to HHI. Just enough time to grab a few good books, a beach towel, and a few other beach-y items. 
Turns out I had PLENTY of stuff...


Anyways, today I played guitar for the Sunday school classes. 
The kids in there need some pumping up. Give me a few more Sundays, and they will be crazy...
maybe the teachers don't want that. 
hehehe 
I have PLENTY of silly songs up my sleeve...


Today I went running.
It's been a while since I've gotten to go. 
endorphins. Runner's high.
Mmmmmmmm.


It wasn't a long run, just 3 miles, but a start nonetheless. 
I've been staying active this summer. Things like biking, hiking, swimming, cooking (it's more active than you'd think!), doing stunts and falling down are all great; still, nothing like a good run. It gives you time to think. 
This run was great. I kept having Bible verses pop into my head. How cool and comforting. 

Then, to top off the night, Daddy bought some avocados! 
I have MISSED guacamole all summer. Poor, poor me. 
It's a super addicting something-or-other. My favorite. 
Not really a dip. I have my own secret recipe for it. (I've tweaked it recently. Shhhhh. Don't tell!)


Then, to make it an even better night, we watched Dr. Who. 
I am getting into Dr. Who. At first, I thought it was cheesy, silly, etc. 
Nope. It's a really riveting and interesting show... 


It was a very nice night indeed. 
Now I'll pop off to bed. I felt like blogging something, even it it is all rather rambly and not terribly cohesive. 
It's so annoying. I'll get going on an idea, and then have another great thought come forward. I'll want to write about that too. Next thing I know, my post is waaayyyy long. 


I need to stop following so many bunny trails. 


My sisters and I are going to make a video soon. 
We have to come up with (or narrow down) our theme for the video. 
If you have an idea, do comment. 
We love satire and goofiness. Nothing too serious. 


.....Argh, bunny trail! 


Alright. It is my bedtime. It SHOULD be my bedtime. 
Goodnight, reader!